Coward Of The Country
by Jade Wildcat
Summary: Theodoe Nott was always over looked and seen as a coward, untill the day it all changed. Songfic, One-shot  Warning, adult content


**A.N Just a random songfic that I thought up in the car on a long drive. Hope you all enjoy it. Though it is kinda sad. A warning, some content may offend.**

**Disclaimer: Characters belong to J.K. Rowling song belongs to Kenny Rogers, words slightly altered to fit.**

**Coward of the Country**

_Everyone considered him the coward of country.  
He'd never stood one single time to prove the country wrong.  
His Mama named him Theo, the folks just called him yellow  
But something always told me, they were reading Theo wrong._

Theodore Nott had always been a small boy. He was thin, weedy and compliant. Not the type of child a Death Eater wanted for a son, yet that's what he got. His mother coddled him and his father tried to keep him out of sight, both to protect him from the still active Death Eaters and from Dumbledore. Unfortunately for Theo his sheltered life did not last. His father was arrested when he was seven and sent to Askaban. Two years down the track he became deathly ill and Theo made regular trips to the prison to see him. For though he had been a harsh man and had committed many crimes in Voldimorts name, he loved his family and had treated them as best he could.

Two days after Theo's tenth birthday they received word, his father was on his way out and nothing could be done for him. Theo spent the day at his father's bed side listening to the whispered advice of the corrupt man he looked up to, with his mother and uncle standing nearby, taking comfort in each other's support.

_He was only ten years old when his Daddy died in prison  
And I looked after Theo,' cause he was my brother's son  
I still recall the final words my brother said to Theo  
"Son my life is over, but yours has just begun._

The elder Nott brother stood by as his brother said his last words to his family. He promised to look after the wife and child he had left behind. Assuring his brother that Theo would never fall into the ranks of the Death Eaters like they had. Theo's mother cried silently as her husband whispered his final words of advice to Theo, hoping he would take heed and make a better life for himself.

_Promise me son not to do the things I've done  
Walk away from trouble if you can  
Now it don't mean your week if you turn the other cheek  
I hope your old enough to understand  
Son, you don't have to fight to be a man."_

Theo went through school as a quiet and meek child, his mother was horrified when he was placed in Slytherin, but his uncle told him to be smart, keep his head down and work hard. And that's what he did. He avoided all conflict, stayed away from Draco's rule and stayed out of the spotlight. His grades were above average, but with Hermione Granger always topping the charts he managed to stay away from attention. As far as he knew, only Hermione herself paid any attention to him and they frequently meet in the library to study and occasionally just to hang out.

That all changed in his 6th year. Tracey Davis, a girl in his year, had always held his attention. She was smart, funny and kind. It had always confused him as to why she was in Slytherin in the first place. But he came to realise her devious mind and love of Chaos had landed her in the hostile territory she roamed in on a daily basis. Theo had liked Tracey since 3rd year, when he had watched her take down Pansy day after day in the war for Draco's affection. Then, just as she had Draco in the palm of her hand, she dropped him, left him hanging and just walked away untouched. Her spunk had astounded him and her cunning had excited him. She was his one unreachable goal, until she reached out to him. He feel madly in love with the girl and was shocked to realise she loved him back. From then one they were inseparable.

When the war broke out in their 7th year, Theo's uncle gave him one piece of advice. RUN. And that's what he did, only he took Tracey with him. They spent the better part of the year in hiding, moving from place to place to avoid capture. Theo's uncle hindered the search for him at every opportunity, until finally Theo had no choice but reach for help. He would not risk Tracey's life any longer and a life on the run was no life for her. He turned to the Order of the Phoenix and they took him in. It was with his information that they later found a lot of Death Eaters, gone into hiding after the fall of Voldimort, not that anyone knew that of course.

By the time he was Twenty, he and Tracey had a house and he had a solid job at the ministry, working alongside Hermione Granger once more.

_There's someone for everyone, and Theo's love was Tracey  
In her arms he didn't have to prove he was a man  
One day when he was working, Draco's boys came calling  
They took turns at Tracey, there was three of them._

One day Theo came home, after a long day at work, wanting nothing more than to sit with a strong cup of tea and hold Tracey close to him. His smile was whipped from his face as he walked up the path. The door was wide open and hanging on a slant, ripped half off its hinges. Scorch marks covered the front steps and the walls of the hallway. He dropped his briefcase with a cry of horror and whipped out his wand, storming into the house. He tore through the kitchen, now reduced to rubble and flew into the living room where he came to a rock hard stop.

"Tracey?" His voice was barely a whisper as he took in her still form, laid out on the floor and surrounded by blood.

She stirred at the sound of his voice and he dropped his wand rushing forward to gather her in his arms.

"Tracey. Darling what happened? Are you alright? Talk to me."

She looked up at him and he felt rage settle deep into his stomach. Her pretty face was bruised and bloody, her nose broken and both eyes black and swollen. His eyes travelled the length of her body, taking in the dress, ripped from her shoulders, her chest, exposed and covered in what looked like bite marks. His eyes went down further to her underwear, down around her knee's and the blood that trickled down her legs. He felt heat rise into his face and centre around his eyes. Rage, hot and strong bubbled over, breaking the bonds he had always kept in check.

"Who was it?" He growled, low in his throat. "Who did this to you."

"Draco." She whispered as tears tracked clean streaks down her bloody face.

_Theo opened up the door and saw his Tracey crying  
The torn dress, The shattered look was more than he could stand.  
He reached above the fireplace, took down his Daddy's picture.  
And as tears feel on his Daddy's face he heard those words again._

"_Promise me son not to do the things I've done  
Walk away from trouble if you can  
Now it don't mean your week if you turn the other cheek  
I hope your old enough to understand  
Son, you don't have to fight to be a man."_

Theo called Hermione, and she was there straight away, with Harry and Ginny Potter at her side. Theo couldn't have asked for a better team. Harry was an Auror in training and his wife was in Healer's school. She immediately took charge of Tracey, ordering Hermione to get her all sorts of materials to help in her work. Theo knew she was in good hands. So, with a last kiss on his wife's bruised lips, he turned to leave.

"I'll come with you."

Theo turned to face Harry, who stood, wand at the ready.

"No." Theo shook his head slowly. "Thank you, but I will do this myself."

Harry hesitated, then nodded. "I understand." He murmured shooting a look at Ginny.

Theo nodded. "Look after her until I get back."

"I'll guard her with my life."

"Thanks, Potter."

"Don't thank me, just come back."

Theo allowed a small smile, before walking out the door and apperating away.

_Draco and his boy's just laughed at him, as he walked into the bar room  
Draco got up and met him halfway across the floor  
When Theo turned and around he said "Hey look old Yellow's leaving!"  
But you coulda heard a pin drop, when Theo stopped and locked the door._

Theo turned to look at Draco, rage boiling in his eyes. He had been easy enough to find, the Dragons Den was a bar that always seemed to hold at least one group of unsavoury characters at all times. And Draco, Blaise and Goyle were as bad as it got. After the fall of Voldimort they had used their money and magic to terrorise everybody they could. But they had finally taken it one step too far.

"Draw your wand, Malfoy." Theo snarled, watching the cockiness dim in his eyes.

"You're joking." Draco said flatly, staring at Theo in shock.

"DRAW!" Theo roared, pointing his wand at Draco's throat.

People in the bar shifted uneasily, some making their way towards the door. Draco forced a smile onto his lips.

"Now Theo lets think about this, you don't want to do anything hasty. Someone could get hurt. EXPELLIARMARIS!" Draco had whipped his wand from his pocket as he spoke, but Theo blocked him easily.

"IMPEDIMENTA!" Theo blasted Draco backwards, making him crash into a table.

"INCENDIO"

Draco rolled out of the way as fire burst into being where he had lain only moments before. He was on his feet quickly dodging spells as Theo fired them one after the other.

"Serpensortia!" Draco snarled.

A large snake burst from his wand, hissing menacingly at Theo. Draco smirked, waiting for the fear to cross his opponents face. Instead Theo laughed and banished it with a flick of his wand. Draco scrambled away as his wand pointed back at him.

"Impedimenta" Draco was again blasted of his feet, crashing into the wall.

"Sectumsempra"

Draco's screams filled the air.

_Twenty years of crawling had bottled up inside him  
He wasn't holding nothing back, he let them have it all  
When Theo left the bar room, not one of them was standing  
He said "This one's for Tracey" as he watched the last one fall._

When Theo walked out in to the sunlit street a surprise was in store for him, gathered outside where a group of Aurors and at their head was Kingsley Shacklebolt, Minister of Magic.

Theo stood silently staring at them, wondering if Harry had betrayed him.

"I understand the criminals are inside." Kingsley said quietly.

"That's right Minister, they're ready and waiting for you."

"Excellent work, I'll see you at work next week, Nott. Take the rest of this one off."

"Thank you Minister."

And then he walked away, apperating home as soon as he was out of the public eye.

"_I promised you dad, not to do the things you done.  
I walked away from trouble when I can  
Now please don't think I'm week, I didn't turn the other cheek  
And Papa I sure hope you understand  
Sometimes you have to fight when you're a man._

Tracey was waiting for him when he made it back, her attendants doing all they could to make her comfortable. Ginny had done well, healing the worst of Tracey's injuries and she was happy to tell Theo that besides a few bruise's she was in fine health and would make a full recovery. But in a private moment, a few hours after he had gotten back, she advised him that he should keep an eye on her mental wounds, for no magic would heal the scars in her mind. He assured her he would take care of her and took Ginny's card with thanks, promising to call if he was in need of her help.

Hermione and the Potters left shortly after, leaving Theo and Tracey to do their healing together. A year down the track would show the couple happy and healthy, Tracey shinning with joy over her pregnancy, now two months along, and Theo alight with the thought of being a father.

_And everyone considered him the coward of the country_

_**Thanks for reading, let me know what you think.**_

_**Wildcat**_


End file.
